The present invention relates generally to the field of tables for medical procedures and specifically to apparatuses and methods for raising and lowering medical tables.
Many surgical and non-surgical medical procedures require positioning of the patient on a medical procedure table.
During orthopedic procedures, a medical procedure table (or xe2x80x9corthopedic tablexe2x80x9d) functions to stabilize the patient and to deliver traction to one or both of the lower limbs of the patient by putting the legs in tension. In many orthopedic procedures it is necessary to abduct or adduct one or both of the legs (i.e. pivot it around its corresponding hip), while the patient is in a supine or lateral position, without relieving the traction force on the leg. Such procedures include hip pinning, casting of femoral and tibial fractures, and hip spica casting. In other procedures, such as femur nailing, it is necessary to position the patient on one side and to pivot the legs around the hips in the forward or reverse direction.
Common to many orthopedic tables is that the patient is positioned in a lateral or supine position on a table top, while his/her feet are connected to separate leg supports or traction units, each of which is attached to the distal end of an elongate spar member. Abduction and adduction of each leg is effected by pivoting the associated spar member around its proximal end.
During the course of an orthopedic or other medical procedure it may become necessary to elevate or lower the patient. Because the patient""s back and legs are separately supported with tables such as those used for orthopedic tables, it is essential to coordinate the raising and lowering of the table top with that of the leg supports or traction units.
For example, one existing orthopedic table is comprised of a table top supported by a telescoping column near the head end of the table, and a pair of leg supports supported by a pair of telescoping columns near the foot end of the table. The lengths of the head and foot end columns are increased or decreased using telescoping action to raise or lower the patient. Typically, a table of this type is provided with a hydraulic pump which is activated to lengthen or shorten the head end column. The foot end columns are manually lengthened/shortened by releasing associated friction locks, adjusting the column length, and re-engaging the friction locks. Because each foot end column is bearing the load of one of the patient""s legs, it typically requires at least one person to adjust a single foot end column. Activation of the hydraulic pump must be coordinated with movement of both foot end columns in order to prevent loss of traction in either or both legs. Simultaneous elevation of all three table columns thus typically requires simultaneous action on the part of at least three medical personnel.
It is thus desirable to provide a cost effective medical table for which different regions of the table may be simultaneously elevated. As will be fully appreciated from the following description, the medical table according to the present invention achieves this objective.
The present invention is a medical table having a head end column and a pair of foot end columns, all of which are automatically and simultaneously extendable and retractable between upper and lower positions. A patient support system, which may include a body support and separate leg supports, is supported by the head and foot end columns.